Sealed tank with corrugated sealing membranes

Abstract

The invention concerns a sealed tank including adjacent first and second walls each comprising a corrugated sealing membrane. The sealing membranes of the first and second walls join at the level of an edge, wherein the sealing membrane of the first wall includes a first series of corrugations and a second series of corrugations intersecting at the edge, and the sealing membrane of the second wall includes a third series of corrugations intersecting at the edge. The tank further includes a corner arrangement comprising a sealing membrane that is welded in sealed manner to the sealing membrane of the first wall and to the sealing membrane of the second wall, such that the corrugations of the first series of corrugations are connected to corrugations of the third series of corrugations and the corrugations of the second series of corrugations are connected to the corrugations of the third series of corrugations.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A sealed tank comprising:
 adjacent first and second walls in respective intersecting first and second planes; each of the first and second walls including a corrugated sealing membrane; the sealing membrane of the first wall and the sealing membrane of the second wall joining at the level of an edge; the sealing membrane of the first wall including a first series of corrugations comprising parallel corrugations extending in a first direction and a second series of corrugations comprising parallel corrugations extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction; the first and second directions intersecting at the edge; the first direction in which the corrugations of the first series of corrugations extend and the second direction in which the corrugations of the second series of corrugations extend are perpendicular; the corrugations of the first series of corrugations and the corrugations of the second series of corrugations are spaced by the same inter-corrugation distance x; and the sealing membrane of the second wall including a third series of corrugations comprising parallel corrugations extending in a third direction intersecting the edge; the corrugations of the third series of corrugations being spaced by a constant inter-corrugation distance y; 
 the tank further comprising a corner arrangement comprising a sealing membrane welded in a sealed manner to the sealing membrane of the first wall and to the sealing membrane of the second wall; the sealing member of the corner arrangement including:
 first corrugation deviation portions each including a corrugation that has a first end in line with one of the corrugations of the first series of corrugations and a second end in line with one of the corrugations of the third series of corrugations; and 
 second corrugation deviation portions each including a corrugation that has a first end in line with one of the corrugations of the second series of corrugations and a second end in line with one of the corrugations of the third series of corrugations; 
 
 the first corrugation deviation portions being interleaved with the second corrugation deviation portions along the corner arrangement; 
 wherein the corrugations of the third series of corrugations that are connected to the first deviation portions are spaced from one another by a distance z1 equal to n1*y where n1 is an integer greater than 1; 
 wherein the corrugations of the third series of corrugations that are connected to the second deviation portions are spaced from one another by a distance z2 equal to n2*y where n2 is an integer greater than 1 and different from n1; and 
 wherein the angle θ° between the edge and the first direction satisfies the equation: 
 
       
         
           
             
               θ 
               = 
               
                 
                   tan 
                   
                     - 
                     1 
                   
                 
                 ⁢ 
                 
                   
                     
                       n 
                       ⁢ 
                       
                           
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       2 
                     
                     
                       n 
                       ⁢ 
                       
                           
                       
                       ⁢ 
                       1 
                     
                   
                   . 
                 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
       2. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which each first or second corrugation deviation portion includes:
 at least one corner piece portion comprising two flanges respectively parallel to one and the other of the first and second planes, said corner piece portion including a corrugation portion in line with one of the corrugations of the third series of corrugations, from one end to the other of the corner piece portion, along the two flanges; and 
 a junction piece including a bent corrugation portion connecting the corrugation portion of the corner piece portion to one of the corrugations of the first or second series of corrugations. 
 
     
     
       3. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which each of the corrugations of the first and second series of corrugations that intersects the edge is extended by one of the first or second corrugation deviation portions. 
     
     
       4. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which the inter-corrugation distance y between two corrugations of the third series of corrugations satisfies the following formula: 
       
         
           
             
               
                 x 
                 y 
               
               = 
               
                 
                   
                     n 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     1 
                     * 
                     n 
                     ⁢ 
                     
                         
                     
                     ⁢ 
                     2 
                   
                   
                     
                       
                         n 
                         ⁢ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         
                           1 
                           2 
                         
                       
                       + 
                       
                         n 
                         ⁢ 
                         
                             
                         
                         ⁢ 
                         
                           2 
                           2 
                         
                       
                     
                   
                 
                 . 
               
             
           
         
       
     
     
       5. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which the third direction is perpendicular to the edge. 
     
     
       6. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which the tank has two end walls connected to each other by walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the tank and in which the first wall forms one of the two end walls and the second wall forms one of the walls extending in the longitudinal direction of the tank. 
     
     
       7. The tank according to  claim 1 , in which the sealing membrane of the second wall includes a fourth series of corrugations comprising corrugations extending in directions parallel to the edge formed at the intersection between the first and second walls. 
     
     
       8. The tank according to  claim 1 , wherein some corrugation of the third series are interrupted before the edge and are not in line with any second end of the first or second corrugation deviation portions. 
     
     
       9. A ship for transporting a fluid, the ship including a hull and a tank according to  claim 1  disposed in the hull. 
     
     
       10. A method of loading or offloading a ship comprising a tank according to  claim 1 , in which a fluid is fed through insulated pipes from or to a floating or land storage installation to or from the tank of the ship. 
     
     
       11. A system for transferring a fluid, the system including a ship having a tank according to  claim 1 , insulated pipes adapted to connect the tank installed in the hull of the ship to a floating or land storage installation and a pump for driving a fluid through the insulated pipes from or to the floating or land storage installation to or from the tank of the ship.